As we mourn the loss of life and innocence once again, let’s think not only of grieving families and children forever marked, let’s think of solutions. In a country where the No. 1 cause of death of children is guns, there are two main culprits: unfettered access to firearms and a lack of access to mental healthcare. We need to address both of these things.
I believe in the Second Amendment, but I also believe there have to be guardrails to protect the people. We need red flag laws and we need to enforce background checks.
Even more important would be universal access to mental healthcare. We don’t want to go back to the days when a family member could stash someone away in a mental hospital. We do need to move forward to a day when mental healthcare isn’t stigmatized and out of reach.
Let’s be careful not to politicize this. This isn’t about politicians deciding who should have guns, but how we can make our country a safe place in which to raise our children. Anyone who isn’t willing to tackle the problem isn’t doing the job he or she was elected to do.
There is a solution if our legislators are willing to think critically and are brave enough to ruffle the feathers of wealthy donors. If they can’t do that, they don’t need to be in office.
Legislators first priorities should be safety for every citizen and devotion to the Constitution. In the coming days, we will see if anyone is willing to stand up, risk their comfy seats in the House and Senate, and do the right thing.
And think on this: the cause of our heartbreak and the loss of security our children experience is happening daily in Gaza and Ukraine, only this time it is perpetrated by people in power. What can we do about a world that is moving backwards, both at home and around the world?
We need solutions, not politics!
